Neo-Babylonian Cylinder Seal with Rampant Sphinxes, 7th-6th Century BC
Made of chalcedony, with opposed rampant sphinxes flanking a stylized “Tree of Life” with a winged sun-disc above, along with an eight-pointed star and crescent moon.
In Mesopotamian mythology, a crescent is a symbol of the moon god, Sin, while the eight-pointed star representsIshtar, the goddess of love and war. The winged solar disc symbolizes Shamash, the sun god. The winged human-headed animals portrayed here are referred to as “sphinxes.” They were a common motif in Mesopotamian art and are considered to be guardian type entities. The meaning of the stylized “tree of life” is still unknown and a much debated subject.
A list of paintings and sculptures from the Louvre in order of appearance as seen in Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s new music video Apeshit (from their new album Everything is Love):
These unique initials are among the finest found in our collection. Rather than being printed from woodblocks, these specimens were engraved on a metal plate. While this process is more laborious, the results are far superior, with crisp, deep detail.
Images from: Norden, Frederik Ludvig. Travels in Egypt and Nubia. London: Printed by Lockyer Davis and Charles Reymers, 1757.
Sphinx illustration I did for Pathfinder 2nd Edition: Bestiary
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Just a little announcement - I decided to slowly phase out my tumblr account. 90% of people I followed here already left so it’s time for me to follow in their footsteps. I’ll post here for about one month more and than I’ll fully jump to other platforms.
If you are interest in still following my art please consider either Instagram or twitter:
